Blairsville, Ga – Union County went $2.2M over budget in 2018 due to unexpected health care costs and rises in service expenses.

Auditors advised the amending of the 2018 budget after expenditures exceeded expectations for the year. The total operating budget for 2018 amounted to $18,908,000.

Several areas of the operating budget experienced higher costs than anticipated, but the biggest expense was health insurance.

“Our medical insurance went up $569,000 last year, completely out of the blue,” stated Commissioner Lamar Paris, “we’re working hard this year to get that cut back, working with our employees, try to work on healthy habits, where they go to the doctor, when they do to the doctor, and increasing employee costs.”

The county also hired a new online doctor, where they can talk to a doctor at any time.

“It’s a benefit to our employees and hopefully our bottom line too,” said Paris.

Aside from health insurance, other departments/offices that went over were general administration by $167,391, sheriff’s office by $563,356, jail by $143,668, and fire department at $172,950.

General Administration included repair and maintenance, and SPLOST can’t provide funds.

Overview of 2018 operating budget.

“We redid a whole section of the courthouse roof,” explained Commissioner Paris, “We try to use SPLOST wherever we can for any capital improvements, but on a repair, we can’t do that. The roof was $37,000 over budget. Contract labor was $20,000 over budget.”

The Sheriff’s office experienced a host of costs increases just like other county offices.

“Salaries were up $173,000 and that’s happening because sheriff’s deputies and all other counties, everybody’s going up and when one goes up, they all go up. So their deputies want more money or they’ll go to that county. It’s a real tough thing how you balance what the pay is and what the pressure is coming from other places,” stated Paris.

The county and Sheriff Mack Mason came together to find a number that satisfied deputies, but the expense didn’t factor into the initial budget. Uniforms, vehicle repairs, vehicles, and supplies also caused the overages. Capital assets and some SPLOST covered part, but not all of the costs.

Jail also raised salaries, which accounted for $82,000, and paid $10,000 in overtime.

Fire department went over due to salaries and buying a new ladder truck for the county.

“Had a couple of guys that drove all over the Southeast looking at fire trucks,” said Paris, “finally, found one that we bought for $93,000. It’s eight years old with 30,000 miles on it. The company that sold it to us completely went over it and redid it. We never had a ladder truck, and we needed one a long time.”

Typically, ladder trucks cost around $1M-plus for brand new trucks. Also, the fire department started new training procedures and developed new facilities to teach firemen how to carry people out of a fire.

County also hired a public defender to speed up the trial process for inmates to lessen jail expenses from 2017. Last year, inmate cost was $118,000, and this year, it’s $19,000 due to the new public defender.

Revenues and property tax collection exceeded the budget by $150,000, charges for services exceed by $277,000, sale of capital assets exceeded by $400,023, and $1.5M of fund balance was used.

The fund balance equalizes expenses over revenues, and the $1.5M is less than last year. Hopefully, by next year,

everything will equal out, and the fund balance won’t be needed.

Contract Agreements

The hospital’s helicopter service, provided by Air budgeMethods Corporation, was renewed in a contract that runs through May 31, 2019. The county agreed to pay half of $76,765.00 to continue the service. It’s an increase from last year because initially, the company wanted to pull out of the area. It will not exceed that amount, and Union General will pay the other half.

“When you go over there and look at the helipad and think that in little Union County,” Paris marveled, “that no matter what happens you can be flown to wherever the emergency room is that you need to go to, just to have that available, we never ever had that available until ten years ago.”

Legacy Link, the service that helps run the senior center, and the county renewed its contract for the fiscal year 2020 for $95,000 as well as a commitment letter for $11,450.00.